getBlockTime

Learn getBlockTime use cases, code examples, request parameters, response structure, and tips.

The getBlockTime RPC method returns the estimated Unix timestamp for when a given block (identified by its slot number) was produced. The timestamp is expressed as seconds since the Unix epoch. This method is essential for aligning on-chain events with real-world time.

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✅ Common Use Cases

• Timestamping On-Chain Events Determine the approximate real-world time a block was created to timestamp program executions, transactions, or events.

• Analyze Block Intervals Calculate time differences between slots to examine validator behavior, slot scheduling, or block spacing.

• Correlate Off-Chain Events Match external data (e.g. trades, system logs) with blockchain activity using slot-to-time mapping.

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🛠 Request Parameters

• slot (u64, required): The slot number for which to retrieve the estimated production time.

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📦 Response Structure

The result field will return:

• timestamp (i64): The block’s estimated Unix timestamp (in seconds).

• null: Returned if the timestamp is unavailable—typically because:

  • The block is too old and the data has been pruned.

  • The slot was skipped and has no associated block or timestamp.

💡 Example

Get Estimated Production Time for a Specific Slot

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "getBlockTime",
  "params": [355104000]
}

Code Examples

Nodejs

const fetch = require('node-fetch');

async function getBlockTime(rpcUrl) {
  try {
    const response = await fetch(rpcUrl, {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        jsonrpc: '2.0',
        id: 1,
        method: 'getBlockTime',
        "params": [
            355104000 
          ]
      }),
    });

    const data = await response.json();
    
    // Print the exact full response
    console.log('Full RPC Response:');
    console.log(JSON.stringify(data, null, 2));
    
    return data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error getting health:', error.message);
    return null;
  }
}

// Example usage
const RPC_URL = 'https://rpc.coinvera.io/?x-api-key=your-coinvera-x-api-key';

getBlockTime(RPC_URL);

Python

import json
import asyncio
import aiohttp

async def get_block_time(rpc_url):
    try:
        payload = {
            "jsonrpc": "2.0",
            "id": 1,
            "method": "getBlockTime",
            "params": [
                355104000
            ]
        }
        
        async with aiohttp.ClientSession() as session:
            async with session.post(
                rpc_url,
                headers={'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
                json=payload
            ) as response:
                data = await response.json()
                
                # Print the exact full response
                print('Full RPC Response:')
                print(json.dumps(data, indent=2))
                
                return data
                
    except Exception as error:
        print(f'Error getting health: {error}')
        return None

# Example usage
async def main():
    RPC_URL = 'https://rpc.coinvera.io/?x-api-key=your-coinvera-x-api-key'
    await get_block_time(RPC_URL)

# Run the async function
if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

Example Response

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": 1753231651,
  "id": 1
}

📌 Replace 355104000 with a recent, confirmed slot number from your target cluster (e.g., Mainnet or Devnet).

🧠 Developer Tips

• Timestamp Availability May Vary Older or skipped slots may return null. This is due to pruning or the absence of block production.

• Estimated, Not Exact The returned timestamp is stake-weighted, based on vote timestamps. It’s generally accurate but not cryptographically guaranteed.

• Node Variability Timestamps may differ slightly between RPC providers depending on validator reports and ledger history. For recent blocks, confirmation delays may affect availability.